I’ve had a couple of Loreena McKennitt’s CDs for years and was curiously led to revisit a song of hers called ‘Dante’s Prayer‘. I was reminded of her music because someone posted a song of hers on Facebook. So I began to listen to different song on YouTube while I was there. This other song oddly reminded me of Michael. It was a haunting remembrance. It spoke to me of Redemption. While listening, I could see images of Michael going through my mind, as I have many photos of him. I couldn’t discern or remember the title of the song. The video was part of a live performance so the title of this one wasn’t listed or I didn’t hear it. But I could hear the lyrics. Especially the phrase ‘Please remember me‘.

Thus, I went searching. Since the words ‘Please remember me‘ were haunting me in combination with the images of Michael flowing though the music, I figured that could be the title – I just couldn’t remember. I ended up on one of those lyric sites which listed all of her albums and songs. From the list, I chose one, hoping it might be the one and saving me from a trip to my rather disorganized and dusty CD stack in the other room (yes I’m that lazy and was at the computer so decided to just search online). Oddly, the first song I chose was the one: ‘Dante’s Prayer’ from her CD ‘The Book of Secrets‘. There it was – with those haunting lyrics. Well, that was easy! And really odd, as if I were meant to find this song – on this day.

Relenting, I went and dug out my CD of her music and listened to the song again. I was quite distracted by it.

Then, later that day, an image appeared on my computer screen – a pillow with a rose on it and a note that says ‘Please Remember Me‘. There it was. That same phrase – again. Now, I knew this was no coincidence. I don’t believe in coincidences. So I decided to try to actually create that video which was swirling around in my head.

I felt was led to this and that perhaps the entire idea for me to create this video might be from God, maybe from Michael, the Universe, or who or whatever one might want to believe. It was given to me complete in my head. It haunted me. All I had to do was bring it to life, to give it birth. I had trouble initially with my video creation software. I became very upset. I said: “well if you want me to create this thing, you need to give me tools I can do it with!“. The next day, I fumbled around online but then found right there on my system some video creation software that had been there all along. It came with the system. I had just never used it. Viola! It was much better and I was able to create the video.

There are no coincidences. Particularly when someone is led to something like this on a day like New Year’s Day. I hope the video isn’t taken down. It’s beautiful, meaningful, and certainly seems to be somehow divinely inspired. I do not profit from it – except spiritually. I hope you do too.

The message seems to be ‘Please remember me‘, of course. And, to remember all Michael Jackson taught those who knew him – through his own actions, through his own life and his ways of living and loving. While there is Redemption, we cannot live mindlessly, counting on that alone to save us. It will not, and such reliance is spiritually and ethically lazy. We must be careful what we bring to and what we leave in this world. If what we are doing doesn’t help anyone besides ourselves; if it is hurting others or our planet and the other inhabitants and living things here, then we are doing some things very wrong. We know what they are. The question is, what are we going to do about it?

About Dante Alighieri:

He created a work called ‘Divine Comedy‘. It was a poem about the Redemption of Man. There are three parts: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

Dante called the poem a “Comedy” (the adjective “Divine” was added later in the 14th century) because poems in the ancient world were classified as High (“Tragedy”) or Low (“Comedy”). Low poems had happy endings and were written in everyday language, whereas High poems treated more serious matters and were written in an elevated style. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject, the Redemption of Man, in the low and “vulgar” Italian language and not the Latin one might expect for such a serious topic.

“It was given to me complete in my head. It haunted me. All I had to do was bring it to life.”

Seven, I know exactly this feeling. I have been receiving stories and messages, that are also ‘complete in my head’ and that I feel are from Michael’s heart, since 10/1/09. They, and the whole experience of receiving them, are so beautiful. I cannot imagine what I could ever have done to deserve such a blessing. They have also brought so many emotions to those I have been able to share them with so far. That is a delight to my heart, so I know what it means to you to be able to offer us this amazing audial/visual gift. Thank you so much.

I have loved Loreena McKennett’s music ever since I first heard The Mummer’s Dance way back in the 90’s. I have always found her music to be very spiritual and uplifting. can’t watch the vid right now since it’s late here but will look forward to coming back and catching it tomorrow morning. I know it will be beautiful.

came back this morning to watch, as promised. Am speechless and crying right now. That final image was the nail in the coffin for me. Oh, and that photo that appears right after the YANA shot near the end…beautiful.

Seven, Thank you once agin! I cried – the music is so beautifully put together with the video…..goregeouos. I am so now a fan of Loreena McKennitt’s and I have to get her music – it just goes right to my heart. Thank you Seven. It’s all for L.O.V.E

I was delighted to stumble upon your site the other day! You are the first fan of Michael I have encountered who writes both eloquently and substantially about him — in addition to respectfully — and how he has inspired you. Clearly you feel things deeply and are thoughtful and creative. I love your poem Wherever You Are; I have had very similar feelings and thoughts. There is so much great material on your site that I can’t wait to explore fully.

It was only a few months ago that Michael entered my life, quite by chance via the excellent Instagram account __nitch, who posts great quotes by creative people, past and present.

Like Michael, I am also a Renaissance person: a musician, singer, guitar player, visual artist, photographer, writer, poet and dancer. I’ve always loved anatomy and movement, and am endlessly inquisitive. Currently I’m studying medical imaging. Anyway I had written a song based on a major seventh chord progression some years back, and for a very long time it had no lyrics or vocal melody. Then one day last month, sick in bed, I thought: “Ok, let’s investigate this Michael person, finally.” I watched a few interviews on YouTube. And my God, I was completely taken. Immediately a melody came to me with lyrics, and the song was finished (it’s on Spotify and iTunes titled ‘Instrument of Nature’ by Diana Szabo (me)). At that stage I wasn’t very familiar with his music either, apart from his big Thriller hits, which I loved listening to at gym. In retrospect, I am ashamed I never looked into him while he was alive. I tend to avoid people who are immensely popular. I would occasionally see his tabloid stories and just considered him (bad) weird, just as so many in show business are. Alas, I erred.

You mentioned that you’re ‘not religious’ but think that Michael was some kind of angel that came here to lift humanity up. I am probably more religious than you are, and I suspect this is the case. Every so often such people come along — Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, Simone Weil and many others — highly sensitive empaths who not only comprehend the totality of the world in all its variety, but also feel all of its pain and take it upon themselves to do something about it. There were a few things in your poem Wherever You Are that really struck me: “This place without you…isn’t really very alive. It’s just heartlessly existing, waiting for someone who could possibly replace you, knowing there is no one to make anyone stop and think anymore.” I share your sentiment; a light has indeed gone out. Nietzsche concurs, saying that the Spirit has fallen out of the middle of the world and needs to be restored (this is the meaning of his ‘God is dead’). Carl Jung thinks the same thing. I read your words as a call to arms. Indeed, I have for some years now been trying to convey the same message through my own work: through my drawings, my songs, my writing and lectures, through every conversation I have.

I am struck by the enormous impact Michael had on the world. This tells me something very clearly: that the values he stood for and embodied are sorely missing in the world. Something happened over the past few hundred years such that people started caring mostly about money, material acquisition and personal gain. Have you noticed how mean big cities have become? How even the design of cars and other consumer products have become black and mean-looking? This is all symptomatic of the loss of Spirit; the loss of childlike innocence and wonder and lack of self-consciousness that Michael and those like him embody. Elsewhere on your site you mentioned people being discouraged from pursuing artistic careers in favour of the usual ones: law, medicine, business. I succumbed to this myself and only recently — thanks to Michael — decided to devote my life to my art and to continue his mission and spread his message in the world. A few individuals have been key in my spiritual development: C. S. Lewis, Chesterton, Simone Weil, Buddha; but Michael put the cherry on the top; he sealed the deal. I have a confidence now I didn’t have before that the values he stood for are the right ones to champion, and that is exactly what I will do through my own creative works.

This is my blog: henrywhistlethwaite.tumblr.com and this is my Instagram (for my music and photography): @dianamszabo if you are interested. Michael has inspired so much of my recent works.

Again I’m delighted to have stumbled upon your excellent site, and thank you for sharing your thoughts and sentiments with the world.